Oldest/First grave: First: Charles Holliday, 1930 (sec 497) Religious affiliation: Nondenominational, Bahai, Christian, Jewish

Ethnic affiliation: Hungarian Directions: I-271 to Exit 26 for Rockside Rd.; east on Rockside; right (south) on SR 43 (Aurora Rd.) on right. History and Surroundings: This is actually the newest cemetery in Cuyahoga County, having opened in 1930. Senator Taft dedicated the original chapel. William Gall, the president of Hillcrest, has been working here since it opened in 1930. Originally, offices were downtown and staff living quarters were located near the entrance gate. During World War II, employees were unable to get gas to drive back and forth to Cleveland, so Gall moved his offices to the cemetery grounds, where they remained until the new offices were built in 1961. It was 57 steps up to the office on the fourth floor, with a chair placed on the third floor for those who needed a rest. The first floor held the furnace, the second floor was a laundry, the third floor was a kitchen, and the fourth floor was converted into an office. "We never had a complaint," says Gall. He explains that by the time clients reached the fourth floor, they felt sorry for the staff who had to make the climb daily. The entrance gate is a well-designed architectural point of interest. Your Visit: The mausoleum behind the office has the remains of Shondor Birns. To find Birns, enter through the door surrounded by columns (8 a.m.Ð4:30 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m.Ð3:30 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.Ð3:30 p.m. Sunday), turn left down the first hallway, flipping on the lights as you enter, and then right down the next hallway. There on the left at about eye level are the remains of Alex and Ellie Birns. Alex "Shondor" Birns (1907Ð1975) was a mob enforcer who ran the numbers racket in Cleveland (see Lakewood Park Cemetery) and was at odds with Danny Greene over competition in their illegal businesses. According to an April, 1977 Cleveland Magazine article, a bomb meant for Greene did not go off but fell from under his car. He was heard to say he wanted to return it "to the old bastard who sent it", meaning Birns. One day after that incident, Birns got in his car, turned the ignition and the bomb went off. That was the end of Alex "Shondor" Birns. While in the mausoleum, walk through and see some of the beautiful stained glass. The next hallway over from Birns has an Old Testament theme. The stained-glass window has a Star of David, the burning bush, Moses in the rushes, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments. In a nearby hallway, on the crypts of Gertrude and Leroy Robinson, are Bahai symbols affixed on marble. On other crypts there are praying hands, a cross, a dove, Masonic symbols, a picture of the Madonna, and a rose. The outside of the building is adorned by three angels in relief, with the words love, hope, and faith under each figure. Trees are planted carefully throughout the grounds, and though most of the markers are at ground level, one section has above-ground monuments.